A Fire Hotter Than Any Dragon's
by Longlivemystories
Summary: Being a dragon is hard work, especially being a shapeshifting one with no memory of your past and people constantly getting the way of obtaining those memories. Distractions are always great, especially in the form on an adorable redhead. (Flower shop/ Cafe AU)
1. Yellow Roses

Chapter one: Yellow Roses

"How much control do you have over your body temperature? I know that your kin sometimes have a hard time doing so, especially so young," commented the older woman as she self down her scissors on the counter.  
"I'm able to control it well," I answered quietly, eyes unable to stay in one place for more than a few seconds.  
"Good! How about you start off by going outside and atering the flowers? That will help you get to know where they are in case I need more. As you saw when you came in, I like to grow my own flowers. Quality control of sorts," she explained as she wrapped a small bouquet of about ten tiger lilies in a bright green plastic with a simplistic symbol, probably a sort of trademark.  
I glanced around the room before spotting the green plastic watering can and taking it. I don't remember ever having had seen so many flowers in one place, but I can certainly say it's enjoyable, calming almost. After filling the watering can, I set out outside, however didn't get very far before my new boss came out and handed me something folded up.  
"That's a pretty outfit and it'd be a shame if you dirtied it," she said, a smile on her face.  
I looked down at it quietly before setting the cat down and unfolding it to play it out. It was a Christmas green apron that had "Avelyn" bejeweled in purple gems on the front pocket. I slipped it on with a small smile and thanked her quietly.  
"No big deal, my dear! Come find me when you're done," she said happily, turning and going back inside.  
Mrs. Sprout was a bit of a plump, cheerful woman that seemed quite content to go about the rest of her days tending to her somewhat small flower shop. I was certain that the area she used to grow the flowers was at least five, maybe six times the size of the actual shop itself, which included the front end, a small back room and an employee bathroom. As far as I knew, I was the only other employee. Mrs. Sprout seemed nice enough and we were in the more quaint part of town, with a café across the road that was called "Weasley's Second Home". It wasn't exactly bustling, however it wasn't dead, either. I almost got distracted again, again. This time by a man cashiering at the café. He had bright ginger hair that was starting to become a little shaggy. He also ha a few burn scars that grabbed my curiosity and he almost looked familiar. Shaking my head, I went over and started to water some tiger lilies. So many colors; I'd forgotten How many colors there actually were.  
Two years ago was a blur, however the span from then to now became clearer and clearer I thought about it. During that span I was at a safe house guarded by the Ministry of Magic. There I was taught simple, though necessary life skills. I don't remember anything previous, though I'm told I'm approximately three hundred fourteen years, I'm an ice dragon, though my birth place and parents are unknown, and my life was too traumatic to remember, so apparently they erased my memories. My curiosity had gotten the better of me several times and during my rehabilitation I had a lot of free time, so I would sit in the safe house for hours on end, wracking my brain for just a glimpse of memory. Most of the time, my efforts were fruitless, though I found that my nightmares proved a good source, because when I talked to my teacher, Remus Lupin about them, he just gave me a concerned look and told me to dismiss them. How could anyone? They were always so... violent.  
"My dear? Lost in thought, are we?"  
I looked over quickly at Mrs. Sprout, who just smiled fondly at me.  
"Sorry," I murmured, going over and watering the next bunch of flowers: yellow roses.  
"You're all right. I just wanted to show you how to use the register so that I can run to the bank," she explained.  
I nodded and followed her back inside. After a quick tutorial and the introduction of the price chart, she informed me that she'd be back in a short while. Glancing around the shop, I felt a sudden sense or worry and anxiety. I stood there at the counter for a good ten minutes of nothing before finally deciding to do something a little bit more productive and went about, watering the various flowers in the shop itself. A skylight lit the small area up brightly and made it somewhat comforting. The bell rang an I turned to see Remus walk in. He grinned upon seeing me in turn and went over.  
"Avelyn, how are you? Promona giving you plenty to do?" I nodded. "She left to do something at the bank," I murmured quietly.  
He paused for a second, before exclaiming, "Goodness! She must trust you a lot. I hope she taught you how to use the register?" he inquired, glancing around the shop.  
I nodded yet again. "Yeah, but she gave me a cheat sheet, just in case."  
"Good, good, always has a plan, that one," he chuckled, going over to look at the pre-packaged roses. "How about you ring me up a dozen of these?"  
I nodded in compliance and did just that. "For Tonks?"  
"But of course!" he laughed. "She's been promoted and I wanted to get her something special."  
I offered him a small smile. I enjoyed listening to Remus talk about his relationship with Tonks; distracted me from unpleasant thoughts.  
"During your lunch break, I'll stop by again to introduce you to the family-owned café across the street. I know that Promona goes there to get something to eat," he explained.  
"Sounds good," I agreed. "Say hi to Tonks for me," I murmured.  
"Will do! Oh, looks like you have another customer. Good luck," he murmured, ing the roses and leaving, though held open the door for a woman with fiery red hair. She said thank you before coming in.  
"Is there anything I can help you with?" I asked quietly, watching her just look around.  
"Just looking for something to give my husband. It's out anniversary," she beamed.  
I thought for a moment before going over and picking up a bouquet of yellow roses.  
"Yellow roses are said to mean friendship and joy," I murmured.  
"Huh, never knew that! Sounds good! He's is my best friend, after all!" she laughed, purchasing the bouquet.  
"I'm sure he'll enjoy them," I commented with a small smile. "Have a good day."  
"You, too," she said happily, giving a small wave and left.  
Huh, this wasn't so hard. Well, hopefully no one asks for a specially made bouquet. After a few more minutes of silence, I went back to watering the flowers. This was definitely a peaceful job and I figured I could get the hand of it soon enough. By lunch time, when Mrs. Sprout came back. I'd only had six more customers, none of them needing me to make a bouquet, so I was happy. I had tidied up the shop, too, and memorized the price chart well enough.  
"Sorry for taking so long, Avelyn. The line at the bank was so long, then they messed up my request and oh... anyways, how about we clock out and go to lunch, hmm? Neville should be here any minute. That boy... he's still in school, however he finished a lot of his classes earlier on, so he's able to leave early and come right here."  
So I wasn't the only employee. I was looking forward to meeting him. 


	2. Anthurium

Chapter two: Anthurium

"Neville! How was school today?" Mrs. Sprout inquired, pulling him into a light hug.  
"It was good," he answered, lightly hugging her back and offering a small smile.  
"Good? Did you see Luna?" she asked almost teasingly.  
This Luna was apparently significant to him because his face turned bright pink and he nodded quickly.  
"She asked me to help tutor her," he admitted sheepishly, but then paused and blinked when he noticed me.  
Neville was a little on the chunkier side of the spectrum, though that certainly didn't mean he wasn't attractive. In fact, he was cute in a nice, quirky sort of way. "Who's this?"  
"This is Avelyn and she's the newest addition to our little family. Avelyn, this is Neville, my nerdiest friend," she teased lightly. I gave a small wave and he reciprocated my movement.  
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Avelyn. You'll see it's really fun working here," he added, offering up a small grin.  
I simply nodded.  
"Are you guys headed off to lunch?" he asked, looking over at Mrs. Sprout.  
She nodded. "We'll be back in an hour, don't worry. Are you ready, Avelyn? You can take off your apron if you want. There are hooks in the back. Go on, I'll wait."  
I nodded quietly again and went off, untying my apron as I went. There were exactly three hooks, all with name tags above them, including my own. I smiled a little bit and hung up my apron before quickly going back out, straightening my shirt.  
"All right! Let's get a move on then," she said happily, turning and leaving.  
I waved a little bit towards Neville who just offered me a small smile as I left. The café was a mixture of browns, reds and oranges. It had a very warm, homey feeling to it and I felt like I could be there for hours. The redhead was still cashiering and I followed closely behind Mrs. Sprout as she went up to the counter and grinned widely at the cashier. Now that he was closer, I could definitely tell that those were dragon scars. Not many people are comfortable being up close and personal with dragons, even shapeshifter dragons, but maybe he wouldn't mind knowing what I am. Unless he held some sort of grudge against us.  
"Sweetie? Still with is?"  
I blinked a few times and looked over at Mrs. Sprout finally. I was suddenly aware that I had been starting at the cashier, apparently named Charlie because of his name tag, this entire time.  
"I... what?"  
"What do you want for lunch?"  
"I... just water," I mumbled, eyes cast down to the floor.  
"Are you sure? You must be starving," she murmured worriedly.  
I just shook my head quickly.  
"I'm good," I mumbled.  
"All right, all right," she sighed. "By the way, Avelyn, this is Charlie Weasley. He's the second eldest son of the owners of this shop," she explained. "That over there is Ron, the youngest son."  
I nodded quietly, not looking at Charlie again, even when he handed me my water.  
"Nice to meet you," I mumbled.  
"Good to meet you, too! I hope to see you a whole lot more around here," he said, grinning widely.  
I just quickly followed Mrs. Sprout over to a table with three other teenagers with books, drinks and food all over the table.  
"Hello, Harry, Hermione and Ginny!" she happily greeted.  
"Hello!" a girl with voluminous brown hair and awkward teeth greeted eagerly.  
"Afternoon, Mrs. Sprout," greeted a boy with messy black hair and glasses.  
"What are you kids doing out of school?"  
"Mrs. Sprout... It's Sunday," Ginny mumbled quietly. Like Charlie and Ron, she also had fiery red hair and cute freckles.  
"It is! My word! That's right! I told you to come in on Sunday."  
I quietly nodded.  
"Er, who's this?" the boy with the glasses inquired. "Ah, yes, this is Avelyn. She's working at my shop now," she explained.  
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Avelyn. My name is Hermione Granger," she introduced herself, holding out her hand.  
I tentatively shook her hand. True that when I'm nervous, my control over my body temperature becomes lax and she was probably a little surprised at how cold my hand was.  
"I'm Ginny Weasley," she mumbled quietly.  
"Molly's only daughter and the baby of the family," Mrs. Sprout gushed.  
"And this is Harry Potter," Hermione piped up.  
I just nodded. "Nice to meet you all."  
Everyone paused.  
"have you ever heard of him? Harry Potter?" Mrs. Sprout inquired.  
"No? Why? Should I have?" I asked quickly, quirking an eyebrow.  
"Oh thank god," Harry murmured, relaxing.  
I looked between them all, though Mrs. Sprout simply shook her head and we sat down at a table by the kids. Not long afterwards, Remus and Tonks came in to the café and I perked up upon noticing them.  
"Ah, Avelyn, Pomona!' Thought we might find you here," Remus said as he and Tonks made their way over.  
"Hiya, Ava!" Tonks greeted happily.  
I gave a small wave, sipping my water.  
"Aren't you going to eat?" she asked.  
I shook my head, biting my lip in nervousness. Tonks and Remus glanced at each other, both clearly concerned.  
"Well, why don't you come over for dinner and you can tell us and Teddy all about your day?" Tonks suggested.  
As much as I enjoyed seeing Teddy, I didn't think I should anymore. What if I hurt him? Tonks and Remus would never forgive me. I'd never forgive myself. The thought made me panic and I shrunk into myself a little bit. They much have noticed, for a moment later and I had the scent of an Iris flower in my nose and I looked up to see Remus holding out my favorite lotion. I gratefully took it and poured a little bit on my hands. Remus just offered me a smile as I rubbed it into my skin.  
"How about we just bring you a little something? I'm sure you actually want to spent a night in your own home? We do love having you over, though. You're a great baby sitter."  
"If I had my way, you'd be moving in with us. I'd love a twenty-four/seven babysitter," Tonks teased.  
"You're good with kids? Think you'll have any of your own?" Mrs. Sprout inquired.  
I just shrugged. Would I? I didn't know any other shapeshifters. Can I even be with a human? Is that allowed amongst my kind? Do they care? Maybe I'll never know.  
"Well, she has to find someone first," Remus pointed out.  
"Nuh uh. Maybe she doesn't wanna date? Honey, you can have a baby and not be with anyone. It's harder, but you're so good at multi-tasking, I bet you'd do great," Tonks said, grinning encouragingly.  
I just nodded again. Did I want to be with anyone? I didn't really think anyone other than another shapeshifter would be interested in me, but maybe... I glanced over at Charlie, who was singing into a pen and dancing around Ron, who looked absolutely annoyed. I caught myself smiling at the scene and unfortunately, so did Tonks.  
"Into redheads, are we?" she said teasingly, prodding my arm.  
I looked quickly back down at my hands and just shrugged again.  
"I think you're ready for a date," she decided.  
I just quickly shook my head, clutching my bottle of lotion. Remus murmured something to Tonks and she quietly apologized.  
"Anyways, we'll be by around six, okay? Have fun at work!" she said happily, patting my back before leaving.  
Mrs. Sprout chuckled lightly. "That pair really is something, hmm?"  
I just nodded, letting out a long breath.  
The rest of my work day went smoothly. After watering the rest of the flowers, Mrs. Sprout had Neville teach me how to clip, trim and package flowers.  
"Prom is coming up soon, so I suspect we'll be getting orders for corsages and boutonnieres soon," he murmured quietly.  
"Prom?"  
"You never had a prom? Well, it's supposed to be a special senior dance. Ya know, making memories in flashy dresses and matching suits?"  
"Are you... a senior?"  
"Yeah... and I kinda wanna ask this girl, but I don't know If she'll say yes," he sighed lightly.  
"That would require being psychic..." I mumbled absentmindedly. "So... you'll never knw unless you try."  
"Hmm, good point... Thanks, Avelyn."  
I simply nodded.  
True to their word, Tonks and Remus stopped by around six, two hours after I got home. They said they couldn't stay long, but that they wanted a detailed telling of my first day tomorrow at lunch. I nodded and watched them go, warm plastic container in my hands. I quietly put it in my fridge and flopped back on my couch. I was so exhausted, I fell asleep with a book in my lap on my couch. What a long day.  



	3. Purple Carnations

Chapter three: Purple Carnations

Mrs. Sprout had somewhat odd hours for her store, though which how much yesterday sapped out of me, I wasn't complaining. The store closed on Mondays and according to the paper schedule, I had Thursdays off. I'm sure she did that to give me a break in the middle of the week. I was also sure that Remus had told her how tired I became being around people for too long. Since the Shop was closed today, I was stuck at home, unsure of what to do with myself.  
Having had woken up on the couch, my back was a little sore, though that didn't stop me from going on a five-mile run. I liked running; let me just lose myself. Five, however, turned into ten and suddenly I found myself collapsed in front of the café at seventeen miles. Why was I here? I laid there for only a few minutes before having someone come outside and kneel down beside me.  
"Hey, Avelyn! You okay?" exclaimed a familiar voice.  
I slowly nodded and looked up to see Charlie looking back down at me with concern.  
"Come on inside for something to eat and drink. You look like you ran a marathon," he commented, gently taking my arm and slowly helping me to stand and leading me inside.  
"What were you doing, anyways?" he mumbled, sitting me at a table.  
"Running," I murmured quietly, slowly coming down from the adrenaline high.  
"For how long?" he asked worriedly.  
"I... don't know. I think fifteen miles?"  
"Avelyn... Let me get you something to drink and eat," he sighed quietly, turning and going back to the counter.  
Taking my chance, I slipped out the shop and started my way back home. My legs were numb from the pain and my mouth was rather dry, but I just wanted to get home. I don't do well in the heat, even though I have an internal cooling system. Why? The heat breaks my internal cooling system. No matter the type, all dragons have at least one fire sack in them. Sometimes it depends on the age, but most of the time it's just breed type. Ice dragons have two, but we have a filter at the bottom of our esophagus. I won't get into the details, because I don't know everything, but all I know is that heat swells my fire sacks and causes my internal heating to increase dramatically. I'm usually able to blow soft vapors of icy air around to cool myself off, but I was out in the open and Remus said that there were a lot of muggles in this area. So I had to make the long trek home while trying not to collapse again.  
Once I finally arrived home, I blew stronger vapors than I meant to and allowed myself to lay in a small puddle of ice on the floor. Once I felt myself cool down, I slowly stood and made my way to the fridge. Right when I tried to take my first bite of the spaghetti Tonks and Remus brought me, there was a knock from my front door. I looked up and hesitated, but finally set it down on my small table and opened the door.  
"Oh thank the stars, you're okay," Remus murmured, pulling me into a tight hug.  
"Hi..." I mumbled.  
"What happened? Charlie called me and I rushed right over here. Why is the floor wet?"  
"I went running and... I ran too much."  
"You ran all the way to the café?" he inquired incredulously.  
"Yes."  
Remus stared at me for a minute or two, before just shaking his head. He glanced over at the container on the table.  
"You didn't eat dinner?"  
"I'm eating it now," I mumbled quietly, turning to sit back down at the table.  
Remus let out a light sigh.  
"Well, you can finish it later. How about you come to a picnic with Tonks, Teddy and a few others, hm?"  
"A few others?" I grumbled, looking up at him with uncertainty.  
"You'll be fine, just go take a shower and change into something nice, hm? I'll clean up this water," he offered.  
"The water's gone," I pointed out, but went to do as I was told.  
My shower was ice cold and I loved it. I was still a little hot from earlier, but my stomach growling intensely as it was was causing me to reluctantly make it quick. I slipped into my room, wrapped in a towel, passed Remus in the kitchen and into my closet. This apartment was apparently called a studio apartment and was fairly small, though it was nice and cozy. Something nice to wear? I frowned quietly before finally deciding on a simple outfit of jeans and a white t-shirt.  
"All ready?" he inquired, offering a small smile.  
I nodded, slipping on some sandals. After walking for a few minutes, I looked around.  
"Where are we going?"  
"To the village, why?"  
"Odd place to have a picnic," I mumbled, putting my hands in my pockets.  
"Oh, we're not having the picnic there. We're have it at the beach," he chuckled. "We're going to the village to get you a bathing suit."  
I looked up at him, frowning. "I haven't gotten my first pay check yet," I mumbled. "Bah, you can pay us back," he murmured.  
I just heaved a deep breath and nodded. A bathing suit, huh? Remus had tried to take me to the beach before, but I overheated and passed out. I spent another two days in the hospital where I wouldn't talk to anyone. I hated the hospital and I hated that Remus had to take me there, knowing how much I hated the hospital. We both know better now to spend more time in the water than the sand, though I was still apprehensive about going. It probably didn't help that I had been wearing a sweatshirt, a long-sleeved shirt, jeans and boots that day, but it wasn't just over heating. It was the people.  
Upon arriving at the shop, Tonks, Teddy, Hermione and Ginny were already there. Tonks was modeling off a neon red bikini that had laces going down the front.  
"Looks nice," Remus murmured, coming up behind her and kissing her cheek.  
"Thanks," she grinned. "Oh! And you even managed to get Ava here!" I went straight over to the baby carrier containing a fussy Teddy and gently picked him up, lightly rocking him. Tonks just laughed.  
"That's okay. You spend some time with Teddy and we'll find something for Hermione and Ginny."  
I sat quietly on the floor with Teddy in my arms and watched as both of the girls tried on different bathing suits. Remus went off to do something else, though I didn't hear what. Eventually, Hermione decided on a sunset orange one piece with a small yellow sun on the belly and an open back. Finny picked a shamrock green one piece with two circle shaped holes missing on the sides.  
"Okay, Ava! You're turn! I found some ones I thought you might like."  
She held up several suits that didn't look very appealing, but then Hermione showed me a royal purple two piece with gold flecks around the whole suit. I pointed to that one and once we found my size, went off to the beach.  
"Ginny, your mom's making the food, right?" Hermione inquired.  
Ginny nodded. "She's all excited about Harry asking me to prom and with her and dad's anniversary yesterday, she wanted to do something fun."  
"Ugh, lucky. I still haven't found a date," Hermione grumbled.  
Ginny shrugged, seeming like she was holding something back.  
"Is anyone at the café?" Tonks inquired.  
I readjusted Teddy so that I could fix his hat to keep the fun off his face.  
"Nope, not even Percy could escape mom's picnic," she laughed.  
Tonks and Hermione also laughed, but I just readjusted Teddy again so that I could fix his pants. Don't get me wrong, I love this baby to death, but man was he fussy. Soon enough, we arrived at the beach where it was surprisingly empty aside from our group. I recognized Ron and Harry already swimming in the water. Tonks, Hermione and Ginny went into the changing rooms while I held Teddy and once they came out, I reluctantly gave him up to Tonks and went into the changing room. I felt a little weird in the revealing clothes and quietly traced a few of my most obvious scars with annoyance. I noticed that scars weren't exactly normal, at least at such an extensive amount. Remus and Tonks had both seen me completely exposed, and yet they still thought it was a good idea to go out in public wearing such an outfit. Shrugging it off, I slipped out of the changing room, my other clothes tucked close to my chest as I went over to where Hermione was tucking her own clothes in a large bag.  
"Oh, Avelyn, you startled me. That looks so good on you!" she added upon fully seeing me in my bathing suit.  
"Thank you" I mumbled quietly, uncomfortably fixing the top to better cover ym breasts, but even then they were still showing to some high degree. Why would anyone wear this? Why did I pick this?  
"Here, you can put your clothes in here," Hermione murmured, holding open the bag as I slid my clothes in.  
Glancing over, I noticed Ginny suddenly on Harry's shoulders, laughing loudly as Harry tried to keep his balance, only to lose it and fall over, of course bringing Ginny with him. Hermione gave a small laugh as she finished putting on some sort of white crème, rubbing it into her skin, then handed me the bottle.  
"You're really pale, so you must burn easily," she said as I slowly took the bottle.  
Sun... screen?  
"Want me to help you with that?"  



	4. Sunflower

Chapter four: Sunflower

I turned to see Charlie standing there in black swim trunks, lined with green. He has his shaggy hair moved back out of his face and though he just arrived, he was a bit sweaty. "I... sure," I mumbled, handing him the body.  
"Cool. Just sit down and relax," he murmured, opening the bottle and squirting some on his hand and setting the bottle down.  
I quietly sat cross-legged on one of the towels and braced for him. The lotion was cool and actually felt rather nice. I wasn't sure what it meant to sun burn still, though this sunscreen cooled my skin easily. Charlie's hands were someone what rough and even they felt good on my back. I watched Tonks playing with Teddy in the shallows, gently dipping his felt in and out. I smiled fondly at them as Charlie continued putting more lotion on my arms and shoulders. "You like children?" he inquired after a moment. "They're... nice. Some are. Teddy is," I mumbled with a small shrug. "Do you?"  
"Eh, I guess. Teddy is a good example of cute, nice babies, but I've seen some pretty nasty ones," he replied giving a light laugh.  
I nodded in agreement. After a little longer, he came around front and gently rubbed some onto my cheeks and forehead. I looked down at his burn with admitted curiosity.  
He must have noticed, for he murmured, "I study dragons in Romania from time to time. I've had my fair share of close calls."  
"Do you... like dragons?" I inquired softly, watching him pour some more lotion on my legs and rub it in.  
"Of course! I think they're very misunderstood and majestic creatures. I enjoy studying them as much as possible," he responded, offering me a grin, green eyes sparkling.  
I paused. "What about shapeshifting dragons?"  
"Shapeshifting? I haven't had much experience with that kind, though I heard they prefer isolation and don't much care for humans," he sighed, "I wish I could get one to agree to talk to me, though. All information is valuable."  
I watched him for a little bit longer. Should I tell him? Is he lying? What if he was simply saying these things to lure me into a false sense of security. Maybe he really just wanted to kill me. I started when a green hair tie was put in my face. Charlie quirked a playful eyebrow. I tentatively took it and put up my hair in a loose pony-tail.  
"Thank you," I murmured quietly.  
"No problem! You look amazing with your hair pulled back, you know," he commented.  
I paused, but then just awkwardly looked down.  
"Hey, come on. You like swimming? Good! Then let's go swim," he suggested, standing and offering his hand.  
I looked up at it with uncertainty, but then took it and allowed him to lead me into the water. It felt amazing on my hot feet after treading across the sand. I turned to say something to Charlie, but it seemed as though he'd disappeared. I frowned a little and waded more into the water, towards the other four, but suddenly Charlie popped up in front of me. I jumped back and being unable to find my footing after wards, fell into the water. Coming back up quickly, I sputtered out the water that had entered my mouth, throat burning from the small amount that I couldn't quite catch.  
"Oh! I'm sorry, Avelyn!" Charlie exclaimed, looking me over.  
I glared at him for a few seconds before abruptly splashing him. He paused, but then just laughed and splashed me back. We continued playing in the water, Remus and Bill showing up a little bit later. We played Marco Polo, and chicken and even though the names made little to no sense to me, they were a lot of fun. It wasn't until three more red-headed people arrived that I even remembered that we were having a picnic.  
We all climbed out of the water and dried off with various towels.  
"Everything ready?" Remus asked a tall red-headed man that I could only assume was the Weasley father.  
"Yup! Oh! And this must be Avelyn! It's good to meet you, my name is Arthur Weasley and almost all of these kids are mine," he chuckled, holding out his hand for me to shake.  
I quietly complied and murmured a small greeting. I blinked a few times when I saw the same red-headed woman from before.  
"And I'm Molly Weasley. We've met before, haven't we, dearie?"  
I shook her hand as well and nodded.  
"Ava here works in Pomona's flower shop now," Remus commented, unpacking several items from the van and laying them on the top picnic tables that were pushed together.  
"Of course! I bought flowers from you the other day," Molly commented.  
I nodded in confirmation. "Yellow roses."  
"For friendship and joy," she finished, lovingly, giving Arthur a peck on the cheek before helping Remus.  
Arthur put a hand on my shoulder and gave me a thumbs up, before also helping to unload.  
Once everything was unpacked and set out on the table, we took out seats. Charlie plopped himself next to me as Remus, Tonks and Teddy sat across from me.  
"So how are you liking the flower shop so far?" Hermione asked as everyone started eating.  
I offered a small shrug, nothing on my plate.  
"I've only worked yesterday, though it's nice... quiet, I murmured.  
Neville nodded in agreement. "It is quiet, but sometimes it can get busy, especially around the holidays."  
"Well, save holidays like today," Hermione pointed out. "It's Easter vacation."  
Ron nodded. "Gotta love a week holiday," he mumbled. "This is Percy, by the way, Avelyn," Charlie informed me, looking at the somewhat scrawny redhead. I nodded slowly, starting to feel a little bit warm.  
"So, where do you come from, Avelyn? I've never seen you around here before," Arthur commented, eating some chicken.  
I simply shrugged. "I don't know."  
"We've... had to erase Avelyn's memories for her own good," Remus quietly added, drinking some water.  
"Oh? Well, that's unfortunate," Molly said softly, eyebrows furrowed up in concern.  
"How old are you?" Ginny inquired, looking at me with wide eyes, sitting next to Harry, towards the end of the two tables.  
"Three-hundred and fourteen years," I mumbled shifting quietly.  
"Really?! H-how?" George exclaimed, leaning back with his twin to stare at me.  
I looked at Remus, unsure of what to say now. I honestly didn't mean to say that; I was told to say I was twenty-six if asked, but my age was one of the only things I was allowed to remember and it made me happy, so sometimes I don't remember the rule. Remus just sighed.  
"She's a shapeshifter," he informed the group. They're heavily hunted by magical folk, so we've been trying to keep it a secret, but the cat's out of the bad now."  
"Sorry," I mumbled uncomfortably, shoulders hunching as I lowered my gaze.  
"No, no, it's okay. I was going to tell the others eventually, but Molly, Arthur, Bill and Charlie already know," he explained.  
I snapped my head up and looked at Charlie in surprise. He gave a sheepish grin and an apologetic look.  
"Sorry, but I didn't want to make you uncomfortable. I was hoping you'd tell me first," Charlie explained quietly, rubbing the back of his head.  
"So you can shapeshift into anything," Harry asked.  
"No. Just a dragon," I answered, finally tearing my gaze away from Charlie.  
"Just a dragon, she says," Fred snorted. "because so many people can do that."  
"What kind of dragon?" Hermione asked excitedly.  
"Ice," I replied.  
"So I've been reading up on dragons in _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ and it says that Ice dragons have a filter in their esophagus that allows you to breathe ice because you don't have an ice sack, you have a fire sack like the others! Is that true?" she asked in one breath.  
I paused, trying to put together everything she said.  
"I... yes on the filter, but I have two fire sacks," I responded.  
"What?! Where?" she exclaimed.  
I glanced down when Remus placed some macaroni salad on my plate, but looked at Hermione again.  
"I have one next to my heart and another where my appendix should be," I murmured.  
"Wow... Somebody should tell the author," she murmured.  
"I'm not sure if it's the same for other dragons," I admitted.  
"Yeah, shapeshifting dragon and dragons have somewhat different anatomy," Charlie piped up. "Though, because shapeshifting dragons are being hunted, they're hiding extra hard and we already have little to no information on them," he sighed softly.  
"But, now that Avelyn is here, can't you find out a little bit more about her kind?" Ron pointed out.  
"Only with her and Remus's approval," he responded with a small shrug.  
"Why do you need Remus's approval," he responded with a small shrug.  
"Because I'm her lawyer, basically and there are some things that she still doesn't understand. Like what if someone other than Charlie claimed to know him and be apart of Charlie's study group and asked her to go with them to do testing?" he offered.  
Hermione still didn't seem too happy, but finally agree. Several questions and a good hour later, we were back in the water. I was happily swimming around with the others while Molly, Tonks and Teddy were on the sand, apparently sunbathing, though the baby was under an umbrella. In the midst of playing Marco Polo again, I looked on the beach by the picnic tales where we had lunch and froze. Literally, there was ice all around me now. My heart was beating a hundred beats an hour. 


	5. Blue Roses

Chapter five: Blue roses

"What the?!"  
The shouting snapped me out of my hypnotic state and I quickly looked around to see that I had frozen a good five feet in diameter of water. I quickly broke up the ice while Charlie and Remus made their way over.  
"What happened? Are you okay?" Remus asked quickly as we all got out of the water.  
I hurriedly looked around for the man I'd seen before hand and growled in frustration upon being unable to find him.  
"Avelyn? What's going on?" Charlie asked quickly.  
"Nothing," I mumbled and frowned over at the others. "My apologies, I was startled," I said quietly.  
"It's okay, Ginny wanted to do a sand castle building contest," Harry informed me. "You wanna join?"  
I scanned the parking lot one last time, before nodding and joining them for another half an hour of building what could loosely be called sand castles. I helped Charlie build a dragon, somewhat. I worked on the tail and most of the spikes, but we both ended up getting distracted by several crabs settling themselves on my lap. I honestly didn't mind them being there, but then one tried to climb it's way into my bikini bottom. I gently picked it up and set it down on the sand. Charlie only laughed and said that they can get rascally. I just shrugged and by the time we finished, the others had built a six foot tall Hogwarts, complete with a few enchanted origami people on sticks, flying around. I watched them curiously, eyes wide with wonder. I didn't know hot to use magic, apparently wasn't allowed to even hold a wand, which I thought was ridiculous.  
Once we were all packed and ready to go, we changed into our normal clothes, which I was grateful for.  
"Ah, you got pretty burned today, Ron. Didn't you put on ant sunscreen?" Hermione fussed, turning his head this way and that to check on the sunburns.  
"Ugh no, I forgot," he grumbled, wincing as he got into the car.  
"I know a potion that'll help with that," Hermione murmured, trying to be gentle.  
"Do you want me to walk you home?" Charlie asked me after everything was packed up into the car.  
I reluctantly handed Teddy back to Tonks and gave a small nod.  
"Yes please, thank you," I murmured quietly.  
"We'll bring you something over for dinner, Ava," Tonks said, planting a small kiss on the top of my head.  
I nodded hesitantly and started off with Charlie towards my home. The silence was heavy and a tad uncomfortable, but at the same time comforting. I liked just walking with him in silence, though I could feel that he wasn't used to silence of any kind. Coming from such a large family, I wasn't too surprised. Maybe I should say something.  
"So did you have a good day?" Charlie asked, a bit suddenly.  
"I paused, but then smiled.  
"Funny, I was just about to ask you the same thing. I... had fun," I answered quietly, glancing over at him.  
"You did? Good! Good! You did seem like you were having a good time, but I wanted to make sure," he told me with a small shrug. "How's work?"  
"You didn't tell me how your day was," I pointed out quietly.  
"Oh, sorry! I had a wonderful time! I really enjoyed spending time with you," he added happily, offering a wide grin.  
I offered a smile in return. "Thank you... And I enjoy the flower shop and Mrs. Sprout and Neville. They're very nice. As is your family. I enjoy being around them."  
"Good! I know there's a lot of us an we can be a bit rowdy at times, but each and every one of them has a kind heart. I hope to have a big family one day," he added fondly, "But I have a while for that."  
"Remus says that you have to have a partner for that," I mumbled. "Tonks said you don't. I don't understand."  
"You... don't? Do you know how...?"  
"Of course I know how," I mumbled, cheeks turning pink. "I just... I don't know. It doesn't seem all too pleasant."  
"Well, it's not for everyone," he pointed out. "Some people, asexuals, just don't care for it."  
"I've never had it, so I wouldn't know," I grumbled.  
"And some people never do. They just know it's not something they're into," he responded. "If it happens for you, let's hope you enjoy it."  
"What about you? Have you...?"  
"Honestly? Yes. Well, I had a close call at one point, but it wasn't really... She just wasn't the one I wanted to give myself to," he sighed, "but there's just no reason to rush into it if you're not ready. I feel like it's entirely a personal choice. You want to sleep with twenty people before you graduate high school? By all means, go on ahead. Want to save yourself for that special someone, even if it means it doesn't happen until you're thirty, or it just doesn't happen? It's your choice. Sorry, I feel like i'm rambling," he murmured quietly.  
"No, no, I enjoy listening to you talk," I blurted out.  
"I... Thank you," he said quietly, soon grinning again.  
"Ah, we almost passed it," I said suddenly upon noticing my apartment building.  
"This is your home?" he inquired.  
"Yeah, I live on the bottom..." I murmured with a shrug.  
"Okay, well uh... stop by the café for lunch, yeah?"  
"Of course. See you tomorrow," I murmured, offering him another smile.  
"Of course! Good night then," he said.  
I wasn't really expecting it, but Charlie loosely put his arms around me in the gentlest of hugs. I tensed up at first, but then slowly relaxed and returned the embrace. Charlie soon let go and offered an apologetic smile.  
"Sorry. I... think of you like a little sister, so hugs are a natural thing," he sputtered quickly, eyes averting.  
A... Sister? I just quietly nodded and waved while he left, muttering something under his breath as he went. I quietly shook my head and went inside, putting out my key.  
"Er, excuse me, ma'am," someone said, causing me to glance over, then completely looking at the woman at the desk. "These came for you."  
I paused upon seeing the bouquet of blue roses. There was nothing on the small card except for "Avelyn", written in cursive. The quotation marks confused me, but I slowly took the crystal vase and mumbled a thank you. Once I slipped into my room and placed the vase down on the table, I stared at the bouquet for several minutes. A shiver of dread went down my body and I just want into my room to change into my pajamas and set out my clothes for the next day. I honestly didn't own many clothes, though I wasn't complaining. I liked the clothes I had and didn't really see the point in owning more than what was necessary.  
"Ava, you home?" Tonks called out.  
I tossed my dirty clothes into the clothes basket, making a mental note to do laundry tonight, then went out into the main area to see Tonks holding a plastic bag. She was looking curiously at the blue roses.  
"I don't know who they're from," I mumbled quietly, walking over.  
"What's with the quotation marks?" she inquired in confusion, holding the card.  
"I don't know that either."  
"Huh. Well, looks like you have a secret admirer either way!" she said excitedly. I just shrugged and watched her set out a containor of lasagna another of mashed potatoes and even a bottle of iced tea.  
"It's still pretty warm, but just be careful when heating it up in the microwave. Don't forget to put a paper towel over the top. Are you out? We can go shopping after work tomorrow."  
I shook my head. "I can do it once I get my check," I murmured. "Ava, you know we don't mind buying you some essentials. But from the look you're giving me, you want to do it yourself," she said, offering a small smile. "Aw, my baby is growing up," she cooed, pulling me into a tight hug.  
"This is my second hug today," I mumbled into her shoulder.  
"It is? Who hugged you first?"  
"Charlie."  
"Oh really?" she murmured, putting me at arms length and quirking an eyebrow.  
"He... thinks of me as a sister," I grumbled.  
"Oh, well, that's okay, Ava. Can't win 'em all," she murmured, playfully, letting me go.  
"Tonks? Do you... well, are there others... like me, out there?" I inquired softly, eyes lowered.  
"Well, I'm sure there are! Why do you ask?"  
"Just... wouldn't it be better if I were to date one of my own?"  
"Well, that's... that can get complicated, Ava, considering that we really don't know where any of them are," she pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest.  
"But Remus said that I'm from Antarctica," I insisted, looking up at her now.  
"But Antarctica is a big place and although I trust in your ability to with stand those temperatures... I don't trust you enough to survive on your own."  
"Why not? I can make it, I can!" I exclaimed. "I want to find the people that I really belong with!"  
Tonks paused. "We're the people you belong with, Ava. Just... understand that we love you and only want the best for you. Maybe when you're healthier and more capable, you can go, but for right now? You should stay put, Maybe Charlie can help gather information on their whereabouts."  
I didn't reply to her, though allowed for one more hug and a small good bye.  
Before she could actually leave, I murmured, "Do you know what blue roses symbolize?"  
"Hm? No, what?" she inquired, pausing in the door way.  
Blue roses don't grow naturally, so they mean 'I can't have you, but I still want you'."  
"Really? Huh... makes you wonder who they're from, yeah?"  
"I... needed to talk to Remus. Tomorrow. At lunch?"  
"Sure thing. Something wrong?" she asked worriedly.  
"No. Have a good night."  
"... Good night." 


	6. Yellow Carnations

Chapter six: Yellow Carnations

I looked up from the pink roses I was wrapping when I heard the bell chime, notifying me that someone was coming in. Charlie?  
"Uh, hey, Ava," he greeted with a small smile. "How are you?"  
I paused for a moment. He still had his café apron on, so I figured maybe he was on break. "Good, yourself?"  
"I'm doing pretty good, too. On my break, so I thought I'd stop by, maybe buy some flowers?"  
"Oh? For whom, if you don't mind my asking," I murmured quietly, tying the pink ribbon.  
"For a very special lady, actually, he answered, offering a grin. "I need something that says... 'your beauty is exotic and enchanting'."  
"I think we have just the thing," I responded, going over and pricking up a bundle of orchids. "These mean exotic beauty."  
"Excellent!" he exclaimed happily, purchasing the bouquet. "I just know she'll love these," he murmured. "Do you have like the little cards? That people write little notes on?"  
I nodded and handed him one, as well as a pen. He wrote something on the card, something I couldn't see, and stuck it in the flowers.  
"What's your favorite flower?" I inquired suddenly, startling even myself when I realized I'd asked it out loud.  
"Well that's a good question, actually. I guess tiger lilies. They're so... dunno... loud, I guess," he laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "Why? What're yours?" "Irises. I like Irises... So, who's the special girl, anyways?" I murmured quietly.  
"Uh my... girlfriend," he sputtered, cheeks burning bright red right after he said it. "Fleur..."  
"Fleur?" I repeated even more quietly. "I... see," I murmured. "She's a wonderful woman. You'll make each other happy."  
"Uh yeah," he mumbled. "See ya," he said quickly, grabbing the bouquet of orchids and leaving the shop.  
Fleur... I met her very briefly about a year ago while I was still in the safe house. She was merely one of many who I was introduced to to get me used to people. She was a bobbly woman who just wanted to dress me up in all different kinds of outfits. She didn't really seem Charlie's type. Then again, what did I really know about Charlie? Maybe he was into bubbly girls. I rubbed my arm and quietly watered the flowers.

Lunch time came around and still no sign of Mrs. Sprout, though Neville did come by to take over. I wondered where she was, though the shop wasn't too busy. I sat at the back of the shop again and pulled out a book Remus had brought me: _Eragon_. Apparently it's part of a series, though I'm already finding it very interesting. Only ten minutes into my lunch break, I started when a cup of tea was placed in front of me on the table. I slowly looked up to see Percy, Charlie's younger brother, standing there. I blinked a few times, before looking back down at the tea.  
"It's on the house," he said quietly. "I heard from Remus that Earl Grey is your favorite."  
"It is," I confirmed. "I... thank you," I murmured quietly, looking up at him again with a small smile.  
He brightened up at that and nodded. "So, how's the shop?"  
"Good, actually. Though I haven't seen Mrs. Sprout all day," I admitted quietly, but shrugged, "but the shop has been quiet."  
"That's good," he commented. "What are you reading?"  
"It's called _Eragon_. It's about dragons," I answered, perking up.  
"Ah yes, you're a shapeshifting dragon," he whispered the last part. "How often do you get to change?" he inquired, sitting down in the chair adjacent to me.  
"I haven't... Remus says there are too many muggles. Plus that not even wizards are fond of us, so he fears I may be attacked if I were seen," I mumbled.  
"That's because we're not used to being around your kind," he admitted. "You're... intimidating."  
"Not really," I snorted. "About as intimidating as a kitten, as Remus puts it."  
"Cute as one, too," he murmured, though clearly didn't seem like he meant to say it out loud. "Sorry, I-"  
"No, you're okay," I said quickly. "You're okay."  
"Really? Good, good... I was kind of hoping we could... go catch a movie sometime?" Did his voice squeak a little bit at the end?  
I hesitated. I didn't particularly enjoy movies; found it hard to sit still for so long. But I... I wanted to get to know Charlie's family some more. I found that I wanted to be closer to him, and so if I must sit for two hours to do so, I will. I'm sure a few other of his family members will be there, too, right?"  
"Sure."  
"Oh, thank you," he breathed. "How about Friday night, at 8?"  
"I've... never been to a movie theatre," I admitted.  
"Well, we don't have to if you don't want to," he said quickly. "How about my place?"  
"Sure... you pick the movie," I murmured."  
"Can do! Friday it is!" he said excitedly, standing now.  
I nodded quietly and watched him go into the back room. I looked down at the tea and finally decided that it was okay to drink it. I took a small sip and smiled lightly. Perfect; just the way Remus makes it for me. I finished the tea as I read my book for the rest of the lunch period. The rest of the day at work went peacefully and I had a small water fight at the end.

Charlie's POV:

So freaking stupid. Fleur? My girlfriend? Who in the hell would believe that? Well... No, I don't even think Avelyn bought my stupid lie. Why did I lie? Why couldn't I just tell her the truth? Why couldn't I just tell her that the flowers were for her? I looked down at the card almost mournfully. 'Avelyn'. I couldn't even write it nicely. I'd seen her handwriting, back when she was still in the safe house and it was beautiful. Sloppy, but it accurately suited her. I could never tell her the truth, could I? Because I'm a coward.  
"Charlie? You okay? You dozing off or something?" Percy snorted, what's with the flowers?"  
"There for your office," I mumbled, stuffing the card in my pocket and handing them to him. "Your office is so ugly."  
"Oh, rude," Percy grumbled, though took the flowers back into his small office. "You just wanted to see that Avelyn girl, didn't you?"  
"No," I snapped. "I'm just tired of clocking in and looked at that drab office. Liven it up a little, brother."  
"Well, if you're not interested in her, I'm going to make my move. Today."  
"What? You couldn't even say hi at the picnic, you loser," I snorted, retying my apron.  
"Oh shut it," he snapped. "I will talk to her today, I promise."  
"Well, then I'd be glad to give you a start to your conversation," I mumbled.  
I used to make her tea all the time. Earl Grey with a tablespoon of honey. She loved sweet things and honey especially is something she took to. I promised Percy I would whip it up for her when she got here. Which, wasn't too long later. She entered the shop with a book. I hadn't noticed the prey pencil skirt she was wearing. It looked nice on her, fitting. Showed her curves. I had to shake my head to focus myself again. I made the tea quickly and handed the cup to my little brother. I wanted him walk unsteadily over to her, actually startling her when he sat the cup down. My baby brother had a lot of work to do when it came to wooing someone, but... my heart ached when I watched them talking; seeing her face light up when he asked her something. It took a customer waving a hand in my face to snap me out of it. I served that customer, though I was distracted. I kept glancing over at those two, chatting away. I wanted to rush over when I noticed that she was beginning to look uncomfortable, but I stayed where I was and let them sort it out.  
Maybe they did belong together. Maybe. Percy was a good man and even though he needed a little work, he'd know how to treat her. Maybe.  



	7. Lilac

Chapter seven: Lilac

The rest of the week went by quickly. I haven't been able to see Remus the entire time, though I suppose that was partially my fault; I didn't want to go over in case I was interrupting anything. I spent half of my work hours alone and the rest with Neville wondering where Mrs. Sprout had run off to. The closer Easter came, the more customers came in. I didn't know what his Easter was, but apparently it was important to have flowers. Neville, however, informed me that Valentine's day was much worse, but we were actually passed that, so no need to worry for a while.  
Friday came and the work day was over rather quickly. As thankful as I was for that, I was sort of dreading seeing the movie with Percy.  
Percy seemed nice and all, but Neville told me that what we were doing was considered a date. And apparently dates were for people who had a mutual interest in each other, which wasn't us. I didn't want to give him the wrong idea, but maybe it won't be too bad if his siblings were there. Especially Charlie. It seems somewhat wrong to me now, but I figured out that I was developing feelings for Charlie. When I confided in Neville, he just said that sometimes people say stupid things when they're nervous, but I was still unsure about the whole thing. A part of me was fighting against that instinct saying it was okay to date a human.  
My mind often wandered to the man I'd seen at the beach. Even though I stared at him for so long, I don't really remember anything specific about him. I feared that if I asked anyone about him, they'd shove me back in that safe house again. Two years of that house was enough for me, thank you.  
Just as I was cleaning up for closing, I heard the bell ring and I looked over. A tall man entered; having to be over six feet. He had an old feeling to him, but he looked so young, not even close to his forties. He was definitely handsome, a somewhat feminine touch to his being. His eyes were golden and sharp, taking in everything he possibly could before landing on me.  
"Good afternoon, madam."  
"I- good afternoon sir," I murmured upon finding my words.  
His voice was so familiar.  
"I'm looking to buy some flowers for a very special someone today. Do you think you can help me out?" he inquired smoothly, eyes scanning the shop again.  
"I'm sure I can," I answered, watching him walk around. Neville was out watering the rest of the flowers. "What is it that you're looking for?"  
"Beg pardon if I'm wrong, but you have quite the accent, don't you?" he commented suddenly, catching me off guard.  
"Uh well... I suppose..."  
"Romanian, no?"  
"I don't know," I admitted. "You don't know where you grew up?" he asked incredulously.  
"I... moved around a lot," I murmured quietly, adjusting my apron.  
"I see... All right. I'm looking for something that says 'our love is pure'," he finally said, pausing at the red roses before moving on.  
"Uh well, white carnations could do the trick. Or even white irises. Both mean purity," I informed the stranger, watching him closely.  
He wore strange clothing. Very formal; like he was trying to showoff. His hair was pitch black and somewhat long, held back with a golden ribbon, tied in a small bow.  
"White irises it is then," he decided, going over to the irises. "Oh, but it seems you're out."  
"I can go get some more. How many do you want?"  
"One. Only one," he replied.  
"All right," I murmured calmly, locking the register and taking the key with me as I went outside.  
It didn't take me long to find the irises, they stuck out. I found a healthy looking one, clipped it, and made my way back in. When I reentered the shop, he was looking at the ribbon selection.  
"Could you tie a gold ribbon on it?" he inquired calmly.  
"Sure. Do you want it wrapped?"  
"No need," he chuckled, stepping back so that I could cut the ribbon. "You have such beautiful hair, my dear," he said, suddenly rather close to me.  
I slipped out of the way, clutching the scissors tightly.  
"Avelyn? Could you go take care of the dead flowers? I can finish up here," Neville said, seeming to have suddenly entered the shop.  
I nodded and put the scissors and ribbon down, handing the key to Neville as I walked passed him outside, taking a moment to calm down before going to do as I was told. I paused. All of the dead flowers were taken care of. I went back into the shop through the back door and waited in the back room, watching the monitors for the stranger to leave before slowly going up front.  
"Sorry, Ava," Neville apologized.  
"Why are you apologizing?" I grumbled, pulling my long hair over my shoulder and rubbing my fingers through it.  
"I saw him enter the shop. I should have come in sooner, honestly; he gave me the creeps," he mumbled, shaking his head.  
"You couldn't have known," I sighed quietly. "How about we just close up shop?"  
"Sure thing, Ava."

I thought about changing my clothes, but I really didn't see the point. I figured jeans and a t-shirt was okay for any occasion thus far and saw no point in wasting a perfectly good pair f clothes that I could war tomorrow for work. I did, however, decide to brush my teeth again. I don't know what it is about brushing your teeth, but I just find it relaxing. I rinsed off my tooth brush and put it away, but paused when I looked at the mirror. I didn't see me. Well, I did, but not the current me. I saw child me, wearing some sort of gown with expensive looking jewelry on. Someone was brushing out my hair.  
The stranger leaned down and murmured, "You have such beautiful hair."  
I punched the mirror in a panic, but then just sat there for a short while, bleeding knuckles pressed against the broken glass. When the knock on the door finally processed in my head, I removed my hand, allowing the broken glass to fall into the wink. Not thinking about the mirror, I went and answered the door in somewhat of a daze.  
Charlie?  
I stared at Charlie for what felt like the longest time.  
"Hey, Ava. Percy wanted to come, but I told him it was safer the less people that knew where you lived- Is that blood? Are you bleeding? Ava, what happened?" Charlie inquired quickly, gently taking my hand.  
It felt numb, so I really didn't feel anything but tired.  
"I... don't remember," I mumbled, looking down at my hand.  
Charlie brought a hand to my forehead and frowned.  
"You don't have a fever, but you seem really out of it. Percy will have to wait until tomorrow to have his date,: he decided, slowly leading me over to the couch and sitting me down. "Sit right here for a bit while I go get some medical supplies,' he murmured going off into the bathroom.  
I sat silently, looking at my bleeding knuckles. What a familiar pain. When he returned, he regarded me silently for longer than I cared for before sitting next to me and putting my hand on his leg.  
"Do you want to take about it?" he murmured gently, taking a bottle of peroxide.  
When I said nothing, he dipped a cotton swab in the chemical and said softly, "this is going to hurt."  
I continued to sit there in silence and only flinched when he started lightly dabbing my wounds. It stung, though I suppose it still felt pretty numb. I recalled Remus sayin that adrenaline can do that to you. I thought back to when I first arrived at the safe house. The memories were vague and a tad blurry, but I very clearly remember feeling cornered and scared, so I did what I did best and lashed out.  
I don't remember how, but I was hurt. I didn't fell the pain. All I felt was the adrenaline rushing through my veins, then blackness. It was later that Remus informed me of the effects of adrenaline.  
I tensed when I felt Charlie wrapping my knuckles in the gauze, snapping me out of my thoughts., I watched him, his face, as he worked. He seemed clearly concerned about something. Remus said that it's healthy to voice one's concerns, not keep it boxed in.  
"Tell me what's on your mind."  
Charlie looked up in surprise. He opened his mouth to say something, but apparently thought better of it for he just looked back down at my wrapped up hand to tape it.  
"I'm worried about you, Avelyn,"he admitted.  
"Why?" I inquired softly.  
Charlie sat there for a bit longer before gathering the medical supplies and starting for the bathroom. He paused before he could disappear and said, "Because you mean a lot to me."  
I watched him turn the corner and I slowly looked down at my hand. Why did I punch the mirror? Why did I have to worry him?  
"I have to go tell Percy that you guys can watch your movie tomorrow." Charlie mumbled, suddenly going straight for the door. I watched him o with a small amount of confusion and hurt in my heart. 


	8. Lilies of the Valley

Chapter Eight: Lilies of the Valley

I sat there on the couch for a good ten minutes, before quietly standing and going into my room, too tired to really deal with dinner. Did I know that man? If I did what was my relationship with him? He made me very uneasy, especially after the whole hair incident. I pulled my hair over my shoulder once again and shuddered. With the strong urge to shower lacing my mind, I did just that.  
The shower felt wonderful and I was grateful to wash the day off. I felt bad for not going to Percy's, but Charlie was right to say that I was in no condition to go anywhere, even if he didn't know the real reason. If I could just get a hold of Remus, maybe I could tell him about both events. I suddenly wondered if they were the same man; I had the same feeling of dread when I saw them both. If I did know him, and he knew me, why didn't he say something? Why was he being so... cryptic? Was I not supposed to know him? Was he not supposed to know me? Maybe Remus wouldn't be too mad if I stopped by tomorrow after work.  
I started when I heard someone calling out my name. I turned the water off, slipped a towel on and left the bathroom. Only a select few had a key to my apartment, but only after I left the bathroom did I remember I left the door unlocked when Charlie left. However, a pleasant surprise when I realized it was Charlie who entered.  
"Oh there you- Uhm... did I catch you at a bad time?" he inquired, setting a couple of bags on my table.  
"No... you came back," I commented, watching him.  
"Well, I could tell you seemed pretty down about something and it didn't feel right to leave you alone, so we're having our own movie night," he grinned, pulling out two movies. "I picked up Murder Camp and Puppy House... Wasn't sure which one you'd like," he admitted.  
"Both," I said quickly, "Both is fine... I'm going to go dress," I murmured, turning and heading to my room.  
Once dressed in comfy pajamas, I went back out to the living room and blinked to see a variety of food spread out on the coffee table.  
"All right, so I picked up Cola, Orange and Purple soda. Uhm, I wasn't sure what kind of chocolate you liked so I picked up white, dark and milk. Also, what's movie night without like fifty pounds of popcorn?" he laughed, "Wasn't sure what other kind of candy you liked so woo, a whole freaking bunch," he murmured, rubbing the back of his head.  
I smiled a little bit and nodded.  
"Thank you, Charlie. You... really went above and beyond, huh?"  
He looked up at me and offered a grin.  
"How about we do the scary movie first? Always good to end the night off with happy stuff," he pointed out.  
"Sure," I agreed, going into the kitchen and grabbing two glasses. I didn't have very many dishes, but I really didn't need many.  
When I was back in the living room, Charlie had set up the movie and was in the process of going into the kitchen to make popcorn. This whole thing felt sort of surreal. Here I was, spending time with the one person I really wanted to spend time with. I smiled a little bit when he came back over with the popcorn and watched him as he set everything up.  
"Oh, hold on," I said, suddenly thinking of something.  
I quickly left the couch and scampered into my room, where I grabbed my blanket as well as the spare from my closet. I handed him the spare before settling down on the couch, tucking my leg under my butt and covering myself with my blanket.  
"Oh, good idea! Thanks," he murmured, grinning happily. "Now I heard this is one of the scariest movies in the past decade, so are you ready to get your pants scared off?" he inquired, cocking a playful eyebrow. "But I'm not wearing pants," I mumbled, blinking a few times.  
Out of reflex, he looked down, but since the blanket was covering my legs, he looked back up at me.  
I grinned and removed my blanket, saying, "I'm wearing shorts."  
He paused, before just bursting with laughter.  
"Nice, nice. You're getting quite the sense of humor, huh?" he chuckled, shaking his head.  
"Good to know," I laughed.

The movie was indeed scary, making me jump a few times. Charlie, however, found the movie far scarier than I did. He jumped at the smallest sounds and actually yelled when the killer suddenly murdered the couple having sex. It was actually amusing watching him throughout the movie. Once it was over, he let out a long breath.  
"Holy crap. That was intense, huh?"  
I quirked an eyebrow, trying my hardest to suppress a smile.  
"Sure. I'm confident that Puppy House will be even more so," I teased, getting up to put the movie in.  
"I'm gunna go make more popcorn," he decided, grabbing another packet and heading off to the kitchen.  
Once I had the movie set up, I curled back up on the couch. Glancing at the time, I suddenly remembered I had work tomorrow. Oh well. I didn't need to be up until five anyways and it was only ten now. It's not like I get a lot of sleep anyways, to be honest.  
"I... wouldn't mind if you slept on the couch tonight, Charlie. It'll be late by the time the movie's over," I pointed out once Charlie came back over.  
"That'd be really nice, Ava," he said happily, curling back up under the blanket.

By the end of the movie, we were both in tears.  
"Oh god I thought this was going to be a funny movie. I didn't think the dog would die!" Charlie exclaimed.  
"Well, I was right that it was going to be intense," I mumbled, wiping my face free of tears and stretching my legs.  
"You have pretty good intuition," he laughed.  
"Comes with the age, I guess," I snorted, standing now. "I have an extra tooth brush if you're interested. And feel free to use the shower or whatever. Just make yourself at home," I rambled, gathering up my blanket.  
"Thank you for the hospitality, Ava. Have a good night, okay? And if you want to talk, you know where to find me," he murmured, standing up and slipping his arms around me.  
"Thank you, Charlie, for being here for me," I murmured softly, resting my forehead on his shoulder.  
"Hey, th-that's what brothers are for, yeah?" he murmured, pulling away a little bit and looking down at me.  
"Right, brothers..." I grumbled, looking down now.  
"I don't mean to keep you up or anything, but... who gave you those flowers?" he inquired, looking at the bouquet of blue roses when I looked up at him.  
"I... don't know, to be honest," I admitted. "My land lady said they just showed up," I continued quietly with a shrug.  
"Any card?" he asked, walking over to the vase. "Quite the vase, too."  
"It's probably nothing, anyways," I snorted. "Not like I know anyone who- who would be interested in me like that," I mumbled, starting at the flowers.  
"Well, there's my brother, but he's not really the flower-giving kind. He'd give you an enchanted filing cabinet before he gave you anything romantic," he laughed.  
"Well that can be romantic in it's own way, especially if it comes from the heart; anyone can buy flowers or chocolates," I pointed out.  
"Good... good point," he mumbled, glancing over at me. "Sorry for the interrogation. Good night, Ava."  
A hand on the side of my head and suddenly a pair of lips were pressed to my temple. I paused, but looked up at him when he let my head go.  
"Another... sister/brother thing?" I mumbled quietly.  
"Huh? Oh... yeah," he murmured softly, looking down at me, seeming completely lost in thought.  
I found myself slowly moving towards him, eyes starting to close before they snapped open when he stumbled backwards, bumping into the vase, knocking it off the counter. He tried to catch it, but failed miserably. The crystal vase shattered into tiny shards in my kitchen. I paused for a second, before practically tackling him in a hug.  
"You're not... mad...?"  
"I've been wanting to do that for a while," I admitted. "It scared me..."  
"What? Why? Because you don't know who sent it?" he asked worriedly, looking down at me again.  
"I... suppose," I mumbled quietly, looking over at the mess in the kitchen, finally letting him go. "I'm gunna clean that up."  
"No, no, I should do it; I broke it," he pointed out, moving towards the mess.  
"But you'll cut your- see, you've already cut yourself. Wait here while I go get a broom and the medical kit," I sighed, hurrying off.  
I grabbed the broom from the living room, then hurried into the bathroom to grab the med kit. I helped him clean up the mess, then patched him up.  
"Thanks. You make a great nurse," he commented, offering me an apologetic grin.  
I playfully rolled my eyes.  
"Good night, Charlie," I murmured, offering him a small smile in return before heading off to my room. 


	9. Rhododendron

Chapter Nine: Rhododendron

I always regret not sleeping, especially after a stressful day, so surprise that I was hating myself when my alarm clock went off at five in the morning and I was still awake, staring up at the ceiling, eyes burning. Begrudgingly, I turned off my alarm and slowly sat up, rubbing my eyes. My body was refusing to work properly, so I stumbled across my small room, bumping into my closet door. I grumbled to myself, angry and tired. Grabbing my clothes, I stumbled into the bathroom. I debated taking a hot shower, but just figured a cold shower might wake me up better. It wasn't until I left the bathroom naked because I forgot my underwear that I remembered Charlie was even here. I froze when I saw his sleeping form on the couch, a bit of belly showing. I blushed a little bit, eyes tracing his barely visible form. I managed to find myself and ran into my bed room, grabbed undies and quickly went back into the bathroom. I dressed as fast as I could and slipped on out. I paused for a second, then quickly wrote a small note saying that he was welcome to stay for however long he wanted and to eat and drink what ever he wanted. I thought about how to sign off on it, but just ended up and writing my name, when I finished getting ready for work, I looked at the note again and, after a split second thought, drew a little heart before my name. I walked to the shop slowly, considering I had a lot of time because I left earlier than usual. I didn't want to wake Charlie though now that I think of it, I usually read until it's time to go anyways. Whatever.  
I looked at the phone that the Ministry of Magic has issued to me. 5:45 a.m. when I arrived at the bus stop. The bus didn't arrive until 6 a.m. and it took fifteen minutes to get to the shop, which needed to be opened to the public at seven. Normally, I popped in early and did what I could to clean and make more bouquets. If there really wasn't much to do, I read.  
I didn't like just sitting there, having nothing to do but think. My mind automatically reverted to the stranger; the way he touched my hair and the way he spoke. I involuntarily shuddered at the memory and just sighed. Who the hell was he? Why was he so fixated on me? Did I know him?_ _I shook my head and looked down at my lap. Crap.  
Apparently I was so distressed by the memory and the stranger that I'd frozen the puddle at my feet, and even a bit of the bench. I slowly moved to the other side of the bus bench and looked down at my phone again.  
5:47.  
Really? Maybe I should just walk the rest of the way there. I could probably make it if I ran, but the thought of working all day in sweaty clothes made me stay put.  
I was used to being alone in the morning, even on the bus. Not a lot of people took the bus, considering pretty much everything was walking distance. On average, there was maybe three people, including myself and the bus driver.  
So you can imagine my surprise when a person came over, from seemingly nowhere, and sat on the other side of the bench. They were wearing a hoodie, so I couldn't see their face. In general, they looked bigger muscle wise and seemed admittedly intimidating. I kept my gaze down after I realized that I was staring at them. I had hoped that they hadn't noticed.  
5:55.  
Only five more minutes until the bus showed up and what I especially liked that the bus had never been late. A movement to my left and I looked up in time to have cloth shoved I my face, then blackness.

Charlie's Point of View

Laying on the couch, I heard Avelyn's alarm go off, followed by some stumbling and I'm pretty sure she bumped into something. I thought maybe I should go check on her, but then I heard her stumble out into the living room, then into her bathroom. I wondered if she even remembered that I was awake, but I figured I'd lie still, just in case she forgot and came out naked. As tempting as it was to see her naked form, I wanted to save her the embarrassment. I heard her leave the bathroom, pause, then scamper into her room. Figuring that she remembered and went to go dress, I opened my eyes, though ended up seeing her move quickly back into the bathroom, naked. My cheeks burned bright and I just laid back down, closing my eyes.  
Once she left, I slowly sat up again and glanced around. Her living room was kind of a mess, so I figured it was only fair that I cleaned up a bit. Once that was done, I read the note and couldn't help but smile at the little heart she drew on the note. I did drink a cup of soda, but then calmly cleaned the dishes. Maybe I could stop by the flower shop today and replace the bouquet.  
Irises.  
That was her favorite flower, so maybe I'd buy a bouquet of those, but what color? She'd probably deny them if I bought them for her, so maybe I should go with purple and leave her a note.  
I thought about the blue roses and quietly took the card. I knew I should probably talk to Remus about this at some point. We'd been warned by people from the Ministry that activity had been going on in Antarctica, supposedly dragons flying to London. We were all worried that, if it wasn't Avelyn's family coming to reclaim her, it was the same people who sold her off into slavery.  
She'd seen something that really spooked her at the beach and now the whole mirror thing? Had she seemed something, like a memory? This was concerning behavior, and the only reason I was hesitant about telling Remus was that he'd tell someone else from the Ministry, who'd then throw her in the safe house again.  
After cleaning up the rest of the house and taking a quick shower, I glanced a the time. 6:30. Half an hour and the shop would be open. I'm not used to staying up all night, but I was just concerned that she'd want to talk to me and if I was asleep then I very well couldn't. Turned out that I stayed up all night for no reason, so maybe an hour nap wouldn't be too bad.

7:36.  
Still couldn't sleep.  
Something felt wrong.  
Shaking it off, I figured that it was an okay time to go by the flower shop. Walking down the street with the bus stop coming into view, I wondered why she left so early. Maybe it was because I was there? Ah geez, I interrupted her morning ritual, didn't I? Way to- a phone? I arrived at the bus bench and picked up the cracked phone. It wasn't turning on, so I put it in my pocket to have Percy look at it later. I was a little concerned by the fact that it looked like Avelyn's phone.

Closed? Why was the shop still closed? Avelyn opened it up every day... I hurried into the café and into the back office.  
"Hey, where were you last night? You never came home. Surprised mom wasn't freaking," Percy snorted, looking up from some paperwork.  
"Oh... I was at Avelyn's and I told her where I was. Sorry. Can I use the phone?"  
"You were at Avelyn's all night?! After you told me that she was sick?" he growled, crossing his arms.  
"Somebody had to take care of her. Just let me use the phone, Percy, it's an emergency," I snapped, not really meaning to, but I didn't exactly have time to play this stupid jealousy game.  
When he finally just shoved the phone towards me, I dialed Remus's number.  
"Remus? It's Charlie. Something's up with Avelyn. That café? Okay. See ya then."  
"What's wrong with Ava?" Percy asked worriedly, uncrossing his arms.  
"I think she might have been kidnapped."  
"Kidnapped? Who... when?"  
"While she was waiting for the bus this morning. I was actually wondering if you could take a look at this phone placing the broken cellphone on his desk.  
"Sure, I'll do what I can," he agreed quickly, taking it immediately and looking it over.  
I nodded and went out into the main part of the café. I felt so useless, just sitting and waiting for Remus to show up. What if she was in real danger? What power did I have to help her? There's just no way she left on her on; she would have said something to someone.  
Right? 


	10. Marigold

Chapter ten: Marigold

Why am I so groggy? My head was pounding mercilessly as I slowly, gingerly opened my eyes. Darkness. I blinked my eyes a couple times, unsure if I had actually opened them or just hoped I had. Nope, actually dark. Slowly looking around, I noticed a faint light coming from a different room. Looked like a computer light of some sort.  
My body hurt when I tried to sit up and even when I managed to, I bumped my head on something metal. A cage? I was in a small cage of some sort, so small I could hardly even sit the hell was I in such a tiny cage? So that I couldn't transform and escape? It was certainly hurt to transform and be impaled by all the broken bars. Well, what poor thinking; I can just breath on it and break it in half. I still have the strength of a dragon, after all.  
I blew my ice breath on the bars and growled in frustration, Why wasn't the ice collecting on the bars? It was bouncing off some invisible barrier back at me. It didn't really affect me considering that it was my own breath. A magic boundary was the only conclusion that I could come to.  
Wonderful.  
Panic gripped my chest and I just starting hitting and pulling at the bars the best I could to no avail. My breath raced and quivered, my chest tight.  
"M-Mom?" I called out shakily.

Charlie's POV

"So you found her hone?" Remus inquired, furrowing his eyebrows. "All right I'll have to go call Kingsley," he murmured quietly, going outside to do just that.  
"What were you doing by that bus stop anyways, Charlie?" Tonks inquired.  
"I stayed at Avelyn's last night. She was supposed to come to out house to watch a movie with Percy, but when I went to go get her, something seemed off... She punched and broke her bathroom mirror, so I patched her up and tried to get her to talk to me, but... she just wasn't having any of it. I left, but then rethought the situation and returned with two movies and a bunch of candy. We watched the movies and that's when I noticed the blue roses."  
"Blue roses?" Tonks repeated. "I think I saw those same roses. In a crystal case, right?"  
"Yeah... I asked her about them, but she didn't really want to talk about it. I uh... kinda bumped into and broke it."  
"How did she react?"  
"She hugged me; said that she'd been wanting to do that for a while, I guess. She explained that the vase scared her," I answered quietly.  
"Did she say why?"  
"No... said she didn't know why," I sighed quietly. "I just want to know how someone could scare her so badly," I mumbled, looking down at the table.  
"You know what she told me about those flowers?" Tonks murmured lowly. When I looked up at her, she continued, "She said that blue roses meant 'I can't have you, but I still want you'."  
I frowned deeply. What kind of person would send her those flowers? Were they aware of what they meant? He must have...The thought of some sick bastard kidnapped her made my blood boil.  
"Charlie. There's nothing we can do now, but investigate, okay? We will find her, I promise," Tonks swore.  
"Okay, so Kingsley wants us to head over to Ava's home. She was told to keep a diary, mostly for herself, but he thinks there's a chance she wrote something about this stranger," remus sighed softly, coming back over to us.  
On the way there, Tonks and I filled him in on the previous night. "After we check out her home, we should stop by the flower shop to see if Neville has any information," Remus murmured as we entered her apartment complex.  
"Sounds good."  
When we finally entered her room (I locked it, so we had to make sure there were no muggles near by so that we could unlock it with magic), it looked exactly the same as I left it. It even still smelled like popcorn.  
"Did you guys clean up or something? I thought you said you brought a whole bunch of stuff over," Tonks commented, looking around.  
"I did after she left in the morning," I answered her calmly.  
"And do you remember what time she left?" Remus inquired, going over and checking the garbage can.  
"Yeah... like 5:30 or so," I responded, also taking my time to really scan the room.  
Everything seemed exactly right, but something very small seemed wrong, out of place. And it seriously bothered me. I locked the door, then again it wouldn't take a second for a wizard to unlock it with magic. The lock certainly didn't seem tampered with physically. Maybe I was going nuts; maybe there really wasn't anything off.  
"I'm going to go check her room for the diary," Tonks informed us.  
"Okay. Charlie, you want to accompany me to the bathroom? I want to check out the mirror," Remus told me.  
I agreed and upon entering the bathroom, I was caught off guard.

_ Give up. You'll never get her back in one piece._

_ _"Is that blood?" I found myself whispering, eyes glared to the writing on the wall.  
"Yes. Let's hope it's not Ava's," he responded lowly, taking the first step towards it.  
A spell later and small particles of blood came off the wall and formed into a word.

_Aurora Maria Luna Akull_

_ _"Huh? Who's that?" I asked quickly, reading the name over and over again.  
"I'm not sure. Quite the name, though. Akull. Isn't that Albanian for ice?" Remus mumbled, probably to himself.  
"Wait... this name seems almost familiar," I said suddenly. "I think I read it somewhere..."  
"In your studies? Do you think you have the book still?" Remus asked hurriedly.  
"I'm sure I do. I bring my studies home," I told him, wracking my brain to try and figured out where I'd read that name.  
"Hey I found the diary- oh my- What? Who's blood is that?" Tonks exclaimed.  
"Someone named Aurora Maria Luna Akull," Remus answered, quietly letting the blood go back on the wall. "We'll have to make sure that no one enters her apartment."  
"Quite the name... Oh, so her diary mentions a stranger on the beach. Do you remember her panicking and freezing the water?"  
"She never told us about any person then, but she did seem pretty freaked out," I murmured thoughtfully.  
"And then she mentions a guy at the flower shop. The writing is short here, probably because she was tired, but all it talks about is the guy who apparently touched her hair."  
"He touched her hair?" I repeated, angered. "What creep would do that?"  
"I'm not sure... Maybe Neville saw something thought," Remus commented worriedly.  
"Even if he didn't, the shop has security cameras," I pointed out. "Are we done here?"  
"There's some more tests I'd like to run. You two go on over to the flower shop. I've already called Pomona and Neville to head on over," Remus informed us.  
We nodded and went off. The entire time, I was silent, wracking my brain for where I'd seen that name before. Akull... And not just the Akull part. The entire name was burned into my skull and I was so angry that I couldn't remember where the hell it was from.  
"There's a chance that that's not even her blood," Tonks murmured gently.  
"We don't even know her real name though," I countered. "She could have that name for all we know."  
"What we need to have is faith that she's okay. These people are desperate, meaning somewhere along the line they messed up. They want us to give up. You can't tell me that doesn't scream failure," she pointed out.  
"Faith isn't going to keep Ava safe," I mumbled, opening the door to the flower shop.

Third Person POV

Remus stared at the wall with the blood writing, a deep frown creasing his seasoned face. The words gave him hope. They messed up and were panicking. But where did they mess up? What did they do or not do to make them feel worried enough that they had to risk coming to her home, where any of them could have been at any time, to write this?  
And the blood. There's no way they would use blood from any of their own people to write this. That would make it far too easy to find them.  
So it's either some poor passerby's blood or Avelyn's. And if it is Avelyn's, that name... Wouldn't they be worried they could trace it's origins and truly figure out why they took her. If they could figure out why they took her, they could figure out who took her.  
Why would they take so many risks? If they thought she could yield any information about her race, they're sorely mistaken. Remus and the others had practically scrubbed her memory the best they could. The only way they could pull any information out would be...  
Remus widened his eyes and yanked out his phone. The ministry needed to know. 


End file.
